The True Nature of Vengeance
by Draelya
Summary: Naruto is captured by the Sound Nin and three shinobi are thrown into each other's lives as they're sent to rescue him. But what secrets are they hiding from each other? I suck at summaries...May be NarxHin andor OcxOc...DISCONTINUED
1. Chapter 1

--Welcome to my first Naruto Fanfic! It's going to be mostly Naruto, with a _slight_ Inuyasha crossover, so if you don't watch Inuyasha, never fear! You'll know what's going on. If I make any mistakes, _please_ tell me. Constructive criticism would be appreciated. Please no flaming. Thank you and enjoy.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Inuyasha. I only own Hikaru. Kagemaru belongs to Mike, and Amaya (who will show up in the next chapter) belongs to Jenny.

Chapter 1 

"Hey, you."

The figure stopped, raising his head toward the direction of the voice.

A lithe silhouette dropped to the ground with almost inhuman grace. The person landed in a crouch and stood up. Crimson flashed underneath the locks of her dark green hair.

"So," she said, crossing her arms over her chest and leaning back on the trunk of a tree, "what are you doing, wandering around here all on your own?"

His violet eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly. "What do you care?" he asked in a low monotone.

Her eyes glinted as she smiled crookedly from within the shadows of the forest. "I don't…really."

A slight breeze tousled his snow-white hair as he continued to stare at her impassively. "Then leave me alone," he retorted in the same monotone. Taking a step forward, he made to continue onward.

"Why?"

The question made him pause. "What?"

"Why should I leave you alone?"

He turned to stare at her again. Her crimson eyes showed only curiosity. "That's none of your business." He mentally smirked in satisfaction as her eyes widened slightly at the force of his glare.

"That may be so," she continued coolly, "but it doesn't change the fact that you're an unknown who's heading in the direction of the village that I've claimed as my home."

"And that would be…?"

"Konoha: The Village Hidden in the Leaves."

"Konoha…"

"Yeah, see?" She stepped into the clearing, letting the sun's rays touch her.

She wore a plain, black tunic that reached almost to her ankles, with slits up to her hips for easy movement. Under that, she wore loose, white pants and black, closed shoes that were so different from the shinobis' usual sandals. She was pointing to a dark blue headband tied around her left upper arm. It had a metal plate with a pattern that had to be Konoha's symbol.

"I see," he said.

She nodded, evaluating him with sharp eyes.

_There's something about him,_ she thought._ But I can't pinpoint it._ Her eyes darted across the surrounding foliage. _It's almost as if there's another…no…he couldn't…could he?_

At the same time, his violet eyes scrutinized her.

_What is that…strange chakra?_ he wondered.

"All right," she finally broke the silence. "You might as well meet the Hokage. Follow me." She turned toward the forest, paused, and turned back, looking at him sideways. "I'm Hikaru, by the way. Ryusaki Hikaru."

"Fujiwara Kagemaru," he muttered, glancing at a random tree.

"Well, Kagemaru. Welcome to Konoha."

End of Chapter 1 

--Thanks for reading. Please tell me what you think in your reviews!


	2. Chapter 2

--The second chapter of my first Naruto Fanfic. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

Chapter 2 

They entered the village to see the streets thronged with people. Hikaru stopped walking as soon as they set foot inside the gates.

"This village sure fills up with people fast." She sighed. "When I left, the streets were almost completely empty." She mulled something over in her mind for a moment, then turned to Kagemaru. "Come on. We'll go this way." She turned right, heading into a narrow alley.

"Why are we going this way?" Kagemaru asked quietly.

Hikaru shrugged. "It's quieter," she said, not turning around.

They moved through the back streets, twisting and turning, in silence. They only saw the occasional person and stayed out of the main streets.

"Almost there," Hikaru muttered after a while. They walked on in silence for a few minutes, when a voice interrupted.

"Karu-chan!"

They froze, Kagemaru's face covered with disinterest; Hikaru's with exasperation. "Wonderful," she murmured.

"Hikaru! I've been looking for you everywhere!"

A flash of blue rushed toward them. It skidded to a stop about three feet from Hikaru's face, then began to bounce up and down rapidly.

"Hi, Hikaru! Hi, Hikaru! Hi, Hikaru!"

"Good afternoon. You really must switch to decaf," Hikaru greeted quietly.

Kagemaru could see now that it was a girl that was bouncing up and down. Now she stopped, scorn in her ice blue eyes.

"I told you already," she retorted, scowling. She swung her long, dark blue hair over her shoulder, then she grinned at them from under her bangs. "Only when you stop drinking sake behind my back."

Kagemaru's gaze flicked to Hikaru's expression. She had raised one dark eyebrow, but other than that, her face was blank.

"You always walk around like you're in some sort of daze," the blue-haired girl continued. She turned to Kagemaru. "Sure, she's alert enough now, but any other day she's stumbling around like a drunk."

Hikaru remained silent, an "I-don't-care-now-go-away" expression on her face. Finally, she asked, "Are you finished?"

The girl opened her mouth to speak, taking a deep breath, but closed it. "No," she answered shortly.

Hikaru raised her eyebrows expectantly.

"I forgot what I wanted to say," the girl murmured sheepishly.

The red-eyed girl rubbed her temples with the tips of her fingers. "Well, I have to go take him to the Hokage. Later." She nodded to Kagemaru and they began walking. To her ultimate exasperation, though, the blue-haired girl walked right beside them.

"Yeah, who are you anyway?" she asked Kagemaru bluntly. "I haven't seen you before. I'm Ishikawa Amaya, Hikaru's friend. Are you Karu-chan's friend, too? Where do you live? Do you have any-?"

"Please, shut up," Hikaru interrupted. "You're making my ears bleed." She glared at the girl. "And we're not exactly _friends_." Only Kagemaru noticed her barely visible hesitation and wince as she said that final word.

Amaya, however, didn't seem to notice. "Of course we're friends, Karu-chan! Why-"

"Just shut up, Amaya," Hikaru snapped. "And stop calling me Karu-chan!"

Amaya stared at her, silent for once. She lagged back to walk beside Kagemaru as Hikaru stalked ahead. She continued staring wordlessly at the girl's back.

"Fujiwara Kagemaru," a voice muttered quietly.

Taken by surprise, Amaya looked to her right, at where Kagemaru was walking.

"My name is Fujiwara Kagemaru," he murmured again, his violet gaze flickering to her face, then back to the alley ahead of him.

A small smile came to Amaya's lips. "Oh, okay." She followed his expressionless gaze to Hikaru's back. "She gets like this sometimes," she explained quietly, frowning. "I don't know why. I've asked her about it, but then she just gets even more moody and anti-social." She sighed.

"If she's so disagreeable, why do you still try to associate with her?" Kagemaru asked softly, now staring at the ground so Amaya couldn't see his expression.

"I don't really know myself," she admitted. "It's just…I feel like I'm drawn to her somehow. Like some otherworldly force is telling me not to give up hope for her." She glanced at Kagemaru, and was about to say more, but the way that he started steadily in front of him, as Hikaru did so often, told her that he was deep in thought and it was best not to disturb him.

Not paying attention to her surroundings, Amaya was surprised when Hikaru said, "This is it." She stopped walking and looked up. Sure enough, the large building that housed the Hokage's office loomed in front of them.

Hikaru glanced back at them. "Come on," she said, and began up the steps.

Amaya and Kagemaru followed.

"If this Hokage is so important, don't we need to make an appointment?" Kagemaru queried.

Amaya grinned. "For as long as I've known her, Hikaru has just come into the Hokage's office whenever she pleased, appointment or not." She shrugged. "The Hokage is okay with it, I guess."

They reached the door to the Hokage's office to find it filled. A woman with short, dark hair was trying to force a large-bosomed, blonde woman into the office. A pig with a pearl necklace watched on worriedly.

"I'm going out, Shizune, whether you like it or not," the blonde woman retorted.

"No! Lady Tsunade you must get back to work!" the dark-haired woman cried.

As Hikaru, Kagemaru, and Amaya walked over, the blonde woman glanced up, clearly thankful for the distraction.

"Hey, Hikaru," she greeted. The dark-haired woman turned around.

"Hello, Hokage-sama. Lady Shizune." She nodded to each of them.

"What's up?" Tsunade – the blonde woman – asked.

"Hikaru!" Shizune interrupted. "Tell Lady Tsunade that she must go back to work! A Hokage can't spend all her time in bars! It's not respectable!"

Tsunade stared at Hikaru, waiting.

Hikaru sighed. "Lady Tsunade…Hokage-sama. I do not mean any disrespect, but you must go back to your office and hear what I have to say." Shizune grinned triumphantly. "Then you can go wherever you please."

"WHAT?!" Shizune roared.

Tsunade grinned. "It's a deal. Come on in."

00000 

When everyone was comfortably situated in the office, Hikaru said to Tsunade, "This is Fujiwara Kagemaru. He was wandering around outside the village, so I thought I'd bring him in."

Tsunade nodded. "I'm Tsunade, the Fifth Hokage," she said to Kagemaru, "and this is Shizune."

Shizune smiled. "Hello."

"It's a pleasure meeting you," Kagemaru answered politely.

Tsunade looked at him oddly for a moment, then said, "Welcome to Konoha, the Village Hidden in the Leaves."

At that moment, the door burst open and a spiky, blue-haired man ran in. "Hokage-sama!"

Tsunade stared at him, surprised. "Kotetsu? What is it?"

"Hokage-sama," Kotetsu gasped, panting. "The village is being attacked!"

End of Chapter 2 

--And that's chapter 2. Review and tell me if you want me to make character profiles for Amaya and Kagemaru. I didn't really describe them very well.


	3. OC Profiles

--No one reviewed, but I made profiles anyway. Yeah, I was bored… --

Name: Ryusaki Hikaru (A/N: I write last names first, like they so in Japan. I say that so nobody gets confused.)

Appearance: Chapter One

Gender: Female

Hair Color: Dark Green

Eye Color: Crimson

Clothing: Ankle-length, collared, black tunic with slits up the sides up to the hip; loose white pants; closed black shoes; Konoha headband tied onto her left upper arm.

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Name: Fujiwara Kagemaru (pron. Foo-gee-wara Ka-gay-ma-roo)

Appearance: Chapter One

Gender: Male

Hair Color: White

Eye Color: Violet (His eyes are slitted, like Orochimaru's)

Clothing: High-collared, black trench coat; black scarf (?) around neck (We don't know if it has any use as of now. –cough-wink-cough-); plain, dark-colored, V-neck shirt with metal-mesh filling in the V; dark pants that reach just below the knee (traditional Naruto-shinobi pants), bandages wrapped around lower legs from the bottoms of the pants to the tops of his shoes; blue sandals; headband on forehead has the kanji for "kage" – or "shadow" – on it.

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Name: Ishikawa Amaya

Appearance: Chapter Two

Gender: Female

Hair Color: Dark blue

Eye Color: Ice blue

Clothing: Ankle-length, gray-blue tunic with slits up the sides up to the hip and two straps on one side only – one on her shoulder, one on her upper arm; metal-mesh fingerless glove on her right arm; metal-mesh on her left upper leg; opaque dark blue material on her right upper leg; gray-blue sandals that go up to her knee and have a "tab" on the front; wears Konoha headband on the top of her head (like Sakura).

--There. Okay, Chapter Three's next! XD


	4. Chapter 3

--Though reviews _would_ be nice, the main reason that I'm putting this story on Fanfiction is……er………………I have no idea. Anywho, Chapter Three; right here, right now.

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

Chapter 3 

"What?!" Tsunade, Shizune and Amaya quickly stood. Kagemaru and Hikaru remained sitting, expressionless.

"Sound ninja," Kotetsu explained hurriedly. "They suddenly appeared and launched an attack on the south side of the village!"

"How many?" Tsunade demanded.

"I-I'm not sure. They were still coming."

"Damn. Why would they…?" Tsunade shook her head. "Alright. We need to-"

"Excuse me, Hokage-sama." An ANBU soldier had appeared, crouched just inside the window. "The Sound shinobi have retreated."

Tsunade blinked in surprise.

"What? So quickly?!" Shizune exclaimed.

Hikaru glanced at Tsunade, catching her eye. The Hokage's eyes widened in sudden comprehension. Kagemaru glanced at Hikaru curiously as Tsunade turned back to the ANBU.

"How many shinobi were there?" she asked slowly.

Though he had his mask on, everyone in the room could tell that the ninja was grimacing.

"There were only two, Hokage-sama," he said grimly. "They were using genjutsu."

"But why would they have…?" Amaya trailed off.

"I think I might know." The door opened and a tall man with long, white hair entered, followed by a girl with short, pink hair. The girl looked very worried.

"Jiraiya?" Tsunade stared at the man, then the girl. "Sakura?"

"Naruto is missing," Jiraiya announced.

"How do you know he isn't just off somewhere?" Amaya asked.

Jiraiya smiled slightly. "Because I told him I'd teach him a new technique today and he didn't show up. I went to his house, but he wasn't there either. Nor was he with Sakura." He gestured to the girl.

Shizune glanced at Tsunade. "Do you think…?"

Tsunade nodded grimly. "They took him."

"What?" Sakura burst out. "Who?!"

"The Sound ninja," Hikaru answered quietly.

"Sound ninja…? Then that means…Orochimaru! They're taking Naruto to him, aren't they?!" She looked at everyone frantically. "No! I can't lose both my teammates to that monster!" She began hurrying out the door.

"Sakura!" Tsunade had stood again. "I understand your pain, but I can't allow you to just walk into danger alone. I'm stating nothing but the truth when I say that you are not strong enough to face the enemies you would need to in order to save Naruto. Also, you're emotionally attached to one of Orochimaru's allies. What would you do if you needed to kill him?"

Sakura gasped. "Sasuke…"

Tsunade closed her eyes momentarily, glanced at the spot near the window where the ANBU had been, then looked up at Kotetsu.

"All the jounin are still away?"

"As far as I know, Hokage-sama."

Tsunade nodded. "Very well."

She looked sternly at Hikaru. The green-haired girl nodded imperceptibly, caught only by Kagemaru, who was seated nearest her.

The Hokage cleared her throat. "Hikaru. I want you to take Amaya and Kagemaru, and get Naruto back."

"What?!" Shizune cried. "Lady Tsunade, they're just-"

"They can do it," Tsunade murmured, staring steadily at the three. "I have faith in them."

Hikaru nodded and bowed. "We shall return to this village with Uzumaki Naruto…" She glanced at Sakura. "…And possibly even Uchiha Sasuke."

Sakura's head shot up in surprise.

"If Sasuke is still within help," Hikaru vowed. "I shall do my best to bring him back."

"A-Arigatou, Hikaru-chan."

Hikaru took a deep breath, looked around, and…completely changed personalities.

"C'mon team! Let's go kick some Sound!"

Amaya blinked, her shock from hearing about going on the mission finally wearing off. Then she grinned, but the glint in her eyes could not be missed, however brief it was.

Kagemaru stood, ready to go.

Hikaru put her hands on her hips and looked around at them. "Anybody need to make any stops before we go? I'm not going to have anyone bring this rescue mission to a halt just because they need a bathroom break!"

Amaya snickered. "Oh, come off it, Hikaru. You're treating us like we're five-year-olds."

Hikaru grinned. "Well, in my opinion, you are."

"That's it! Let's go! We're taking this outside!"

Still laughing, the girls left, followed by a silent and slightly confused Kagemaru.

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"Do you think it was a good idea? Sending those three?" Shizune asked worriedly.

"Shizune, this is the tenth time you've asked me that. Come on! Give me a break." Tsunade drained her third shot of sake, raising her hand for another.

"It's just that, there's nothing remarkable about Amaya and Hikaru, and Kagemaru just came into the village ten minutes before. We don't even know if we can trust him!"

Tsunade had exchanged a knowing glance, unnoticed by Shizune, with Jiraiya when Hikaru was mentioned.

Now, Tsunade said confidently, "We can trust him."

"But, Lady Tsunade, how do you know?"

Tsunade closed her eyes, remembering the definite nod Hikaru had given her.

She opened her eyes, and looked back at Shizune. "I have my sources."

Shizune's eyes popped. "Like what?! He hadn't been in the village ten minutes and you've already got sources about him?!"

"Yes, and I, being the Hokage, have no need to share the nature of my sources with you, a subordinate."

"Wha-?"

_How can Lady Tsunade be this articulate, even while drunk?_ Shizune wondered.

Then, Tsunade drained her fifth shot and fell over, unconscious. Shizune sweatdropped, then turned to Jiraiya.

"You're going to help me take her home, ri-?" She stopped when she realized that the Toad Sage was completely and utterly gone.

"Why me?" she muttered miserably, barely audible over the Hokage's snoring.


	5. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, and Kagemaru belongs to M.T.

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**-****Chapter 4****-**

Kagemaru stared as Hikaru laughed with Amaya. She noticed he was looking at her and blinked.

"What?"

"What's with the sudden change of personalities?" he asked.

Hikaru tilted her head to one side. "What do you mean?"

"Never mind."

Hikaru shrugged.

Amaya looked back at them as they leaped through the trees. "Sound ninja at two and ten o'clock."

They landed in a clearing to find hundreds of Sound ninja waiting for them.

"So. These must be the shinobi who attacked the village," Hikaru observed quietly. Amaya and Kagemaru nodded.

One of the shinobi stepped forward. He had a mask on so his features couldn't be seen.

"So you are the ones Konoha sends to defeat the mighty Sound ninja. A handful of children! How pathetic! We shall crush you, slowly and painfully!"

Hikaru's eyes suddenly widened. Before anyone else could react, she darted toward Kagemaru, snatched the unseen kunai out of the air behind him, spun, and flung it back in the direction of the attacker.

A cry was heard and another masked figure dropped to the ground, clutching his shoulder.

"Don't underestimate us 'children'," Hikaru growled.

Before the shinobi could do anything, Hikaru, Kagemaru, and Amaya darted out, making quick work of the clones and the ninja.

Amaya yanked the knot in the rope securing the unconscious Sound ninja to a thick tree a final time.

"Well that was disappointingly simple," she retorted, flipping her hair over her shoulder.

"Yes, _too_ simple," Hikaru murmured, stroking her chin.

"Freak." Amaya grinned.

Hikaru looked up. "What?"

Amaya shrugged. "You're a freak."

Hikaru sighed. "Amaya, Amaya, Amaya."

"What?"

"Pet the sheep," Hikaru intoned sagely, stroking the air in front of her.

"Oh, right. The sheep." Amaya, too, began petting the air.

"I'm confused," Kagemaru announced, shaking his head.

"The sheep," Hikaru explained, "represents peace. We came to that conclusion long ago. By petting the sheep, we bring the peace into ourselves, achieving peace of body, peace of mind, and also peace of spirit. If we spread the word, and more people begin petting the sheep, perhaps the world will cease its endless violence."

"That makes no sense."

"You're just scared," Amaya teased.

"Are not."

"Put your hand out, like so," Hikaru instructed. She held her hand out in front of her, palm down.

Kagemaru did the same.

"Now, gently stroke. Gently, gently. Don't injure the sheep." Hikaru began stroking the air.

Kagemaru did, too.

"Can the sheep feel pain?" he asked after a minute.

"No," Amaya answered.

"So why do we have to pet gently?"

"Uh…" Amaya couldn't think of an answer.

"Out of respect," Hikaru answered, nodding. "Respect for the sheep."

"Uh…sure." Kagemaru sweat-dropped, still petting the sheep.

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A little while later, they were leaping through the trees again.

"Pet the sheep," Kagemaru muttered, shaking his head.

Hikaru snickered.

"So, where are you from, Kagemaru?" Amaya asked, making conversation. "Do you have any family?"

Kagemaru was silent for a while. "No, they're all dead."

"Oh." Amaya's face fell. "I'm sorry."

"Never mind." Kagemaru paused. "What about you?"

Amaya smiled sadly. "Nope. Everyone in my family is dead, too. They were killed in a raid."

"I'm sorry."

"My mother, father, and older brother were killed by Sound ninja. That's why I'm glad that the Hokage chose me to go on this mission."

Throughout this whole exchange, Hikaru had stared steadily ahead. She had heard all of this before, when she first met Amaya. Back then, the blue-eyed girl had been an emotional wreck.

Suddenly, Hikaru stopped, her arms out to either side in a sign for the other two to stop as well. They came to a halt a few branches behind her, tuning their senses to their surroundings.

Hikaru's head jerked around as she yelled to Kagemaru. "Move!"

He stared at her. "What are you-?"

"Just _move_!!" Hikaru slammed into him, knocking him sideways just as a kunai struck the tree trunk where his head had been only moments before. A second kunai followed it, but missed the trunk altogether. It began to spin around the tree, again and again, as if it was self-propelled. Finally, it embedded itself deep into the trunk on the other side of Hikaru's head.

The red-eyed girl cursed quietly.

Amaya blinked. "What's wrong, Karu-chan?"

"I must congratulate you, Fujiwara-san." A deep voice spoke from high up in the trees. "It seems that you've found a comrade with an extraordinary talent for sensing chakra, a rare trait indeed. My kunai, you see, are connected with an invisible strand of chakra, so your friend is rather…tied up at the moment."

Amaya glanced to where Hikaru struggled with the hidden bonds. "Who are you?"

"Fujiwara-san knows," the voice answered cryptically. "Just look at him tremble with fear!" Laughter filled the air, causing a chill to run down the blue-haired girl's spine.

Amaya looked at Kagemaru, who was indeed shaking. She couldn't see his expression, but his hands were in fists, knuckles white.

"Kagemaru, do you know who this is?"

"Yes." Kagemaru's voice shook. He looked up with hate-filled eyes. "He's the man who murdered my family! Shindo Maoki!"


End file.
